Indonesia
(Akron/Tire Review) The new A1 Grand Prix has released a 12-race schedule that features races in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa and South and North America. All cars running in the A1 Grand Prix series will race on Cooper tyres produced by Avon racing. The series kicks off at Brands Hatch on the 25 September and then will continue with races at Lausitzring in Germany on 9 October and at Estoril in Portugal on 23 October.
Tyres & RubberTech China was first staged in 1998 and has been held every other year. Now, in response to demand from exhibitors and visitors, it has been decided to stage the show annually and the next event will take place in Shanghai from 9 – 11 November. The organisers estimate that the 2005 show will cover 10,000 square metres.
A forecast by the China Minmetals & Chemicals Import and Export Chamber of Commerce says that demand from the tyre industry will be the major factor in a rise in the price of rubber and growth in the Chinese Rubber Industry in 2005.
Indonesia’s Gajah Tunggal has reported a 4.11 per cent decline in net profit to Rp478.15 billion (£31.2 million) in 2004 compared with the previous year, according to Yahoo Finance Australia.
Its financial report declared net sales that rose to Rp6,807,58 billion from Rp5,729.51 billion.
Its gross profit rose from Rp871.82 billion to Rp1,124.39 billion but it suffered a loss on the foreign exchange amounting to Rp436.75 billion as against gain of Rp390.65 billion in the previous year, said the report.
The company’s total assets shrank from Rp12,173.26 billion to Rp6,341.12 billion as a result of a sharp fall in current assets from Rp9,096.77 billion to Rp4,491.78 billion.
The $500,000 pledged by Continental AG to the victims of the tsunami in Asia will go mainly to the benefit of the homeless and fishermen, a company statement explains. A large share of the funds will be put to use in Malaysia, where the automotive supplier also has two tyre plants. Indonesia and Sri Lanka will also receive aid.
Pirelli energy and cable systems has announced that its Comergy subsidiary has won a 25 million euro contract to supply the SP PowerAssets, a subsidiary of Singapore Power. The contract will see the company supply and install 400kV PPL oil filled power cables, auxiliary cables and accessories in order to reinforce the county’s power transmission network within the country. Pirelli’s Eastleigh and Bishopstoke, UK plants will manufacture the 400kV power cables and accessories, whilst Pirelli plants in Turkey and Indonesia will supply the auxiliary cables.
”We are delighted to have secured a second 400kV contract with SP PowerAssets in the extremely competitive Asian marketplace for power cables,” Valerio Battista, managing director of Pirelli Energy Cables and Systems commented. “The award of this second contract is important recognition of our capability of supplying competitively priced solutions for high voltage networks. It also demonstrates the client’s trust in our ability to deliver such projects on time and within budget.”
If the 8th Moscow Tires & Rubber show is anything to go by, the Russian tyre market looks set to continue its development as a growth market. While the show was marked by growing interest from exhibitors and visitors, the market itself has produced some generally optimistic data and has seen perceptions of the manufacturers’ market approaches improve. All this suggests that the Russian market will continue to develop into a very interesting tyre market, with a strong growth potential.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries has said it will build a radial tyre plant in Thailand, Japan Today has reported. The new factory will be built in an industrial complex 100 kilometres south of Bangkok and will aim to produce 12,000 tyres per day two years after it begins operating in 2006, the report says. The facility will be the company’s third plant in Asia as Sumitomo Rubber already operates factories in Indonesia and China. The company reportedly made the decision to build the new plant in Thailand in response to growing global demand.
Goodyear Dunlop has teamed up with Southern Vectis providing tyres for ten IVECO 59-12 vehicles that the bus company is pledging to Asia Bus Response, a UK-wide appeal for vehicles by the bus industry.
Bridgestone Thailand MD, Tomohiko Yoshimoto, is predicting his company’s truck and bus tyre sales will grow at least 10 per cent, Thailand’s Bangkok post has reported.
After 10 years of written notices and attempted negotiations, the Indonesian Supreme Court is about to settle a dispute between Goodyear Tire & Rubber (GTRC) and PT Banteng Pratama Rubber. Goodyear contends that Banteng continues to produce bicycle tyres using the Goodyear trademark even though its agreement with GTRC expired in 1993. Banteng even created its own “Goodyear-Luckystone” brand and uses the American conpany’s winged foot logo on its products and letterhead.
Bridgestone is to donate 100 million yen (roughly £500,000) to disaster relief aid intended for victims of the recent Indian Ocean Tsunami. The money will be distributed through the Japan Red Cross which will allocate funds at its discretion. The company’s subsidiaries in Thailand, India, Indonesia and Malaysia will make separate contributions to local relief efforts.
Continental and Michelin have also donated to the cause.
The new A1 Grand Prix series is set to commence in autumn next year. As the latest edition to the motorsports calendar it is not being viewed as competition to F1 and has managed to position itself in a different sector of single seater racing. Known as the World Cup of Motorsport, A1 differs from the current F1, in that the contenders will represent their home countries and all cars will have the exact same specifications having been built by the same manufacturer. The sport will use 3.4-litre V8 engines, mounted on a Lola chassis and fitted with Cooper tyres.
Founded by Sheikh Maktoum, a member of the ruling family of Dubai, and businessmen Brian Menell and Antonio Teixeira, the FIA sanctioned series will run in motor racing’s traditional ‘off’ season. It is described by the organisers as being unique in the fact that it brings together a sustainable business model with the high speed excitement of motorsport.
Amongst the countries that have secured their place so far are the UK, South Africa, China, Portugal, Pakistan, Lebanon, Australia, Canada and Malaysia. The participants represent more than 80 per cent of the world’s population. And Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar, China, South Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and Australia have already been selected to host the first A1 Grand Prix season, and there is still the possibility of a further two events.
There has been much emphasis put on the fact that the sport will provide a patriotic atmosphere between contenders and their supporters, with chairman of the South African team, Tokyo Sexwale, commenting: “ It will create a new patriotic edge to the sport, and add a new dimension to one of the most popular sports in the world. We are proud and pleased that there will be a South African entrant in this exciting global event. We fully subscribe to the need to spread motor racing away from its traditional European and North American roots and into the developing world. Welcome to the world of Motortainment.”
One of the essential elements of the A1 GP is that it needs to be thrilling to watch. The belief that it will be a compelling spectacle for all motorsport fans was strongly endorsed when Sky Sports bought the broadcasting rights for live coverage in the UK, of not only the races, but also the practice and qualifying sessions. Sky Sports managing director Vic Wakeling said: “We have been sold on the concept of a genuine test of driving skills and it has the added attraction of providing us with more international sport throughout the winter months.”
Indonesia’s car production total for the first eight months of 2004 was up 18 per cent compared with the same period last year, reported the Indonesian APBI tyre association. In addition to the production increase, which equates to 23.37 million units, APBI chairman, A Aziz Pane explained that exports also rose to $301 million in the first eight months of 2004, from $247 million in the same period the previous. Mr Pane said exports contributed more to the sales total as sales on the domestic market had been depressed with large imports of cheap second hand tyres from China.
Bridgestone Corporation today announced that it has entered into an agreement with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company to purchase 95 per cent of the American company’s stake in Goodyear Sumatra Plantations (GSP). Terms of the pending purchase have not been disclosed.
GSP, which began operations in 1917, is one of the largest natural rubber estates in North Sumatra Indonesia. Its activities include the planting, growing, tapping and processing of natural rubber. GSP has approximately 18,000 total hectares (47,000 total acres) with approximately 5,000 employees.
Bridgestone said its acquisition of GSP is part of its aim to secure a stable supply of natural rubber and to increase its research and development in this area. The group supplies some of its own demand for steel cord, synthetic rubber and natural rubber, as well as carbon black.
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